Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 24.pdf/69

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The Green Bag

and independent analysis. The state honors itself by elevating to the bench a man who is a jurist in the true sense of the word, "in a day when lawyers are many and jurists are rare." Justice Bruce's appointment followed the resignation of Chief Justice Morgan, who has been in ill heath for the last couple of years. This gives Judge Spalding the position of Chief Justice on account of seniority. Two Great Law Libraries

A statement recently made that the Elbert H. Gary Library of Law at North western University "is undoubtedly the most remarkable institution of its kind in the whole world" is disputed by Librarian John H. Arnold of the Har vard Law School Library, not with a view of lessening the importance of the Gary Library, but because of his desire "to call attention to the fact, perhaps not generally known, of the great growth and value of the Harvard Law Library." Writing in the Boston Transcript, Mr. Arnold says: "During the past year this [the Har vard] library has acquired the Olivart collection of international law, doubtless the most remarkable collection on this subject in the world. Our assistant librarian has just returned from Europe, after a remarkably successful search of, not modern Continental law, which is easily obtained, but of the old books in the various branches, getting as early editions as possible. We shall have added during the year upwards of 20,000 volumes to our collection, and it is safe to say that, on Jan. 1, 1912, the library will contain at least 150,000 volumes. "Now, bigness is not a test of quality, but I think we can modestly say that in quality we have no fear of comparison with any law library in this country or abroad. ... In this connection, I would

quote what Professor A. V. Dicey of Oxford University had to say of our col lection in his article in the Contemporary Review of November, 1899, on The Teaching of English Law at Harvard.' I quote his words: The Law School forms a sort of University within the University. Its library constitutes the most perfect collection of the legal records of the English people to be found in any part of the English-speak ing world. We possess nothing like it in England. In the library at Harvard you will find the works of every English and American writer on law; there stand not only all the American reports — and these include, as well as the reports of the federal courts, reports from every one of the forty-five states of the Union — but also complete collections of our English reports, of our English statutes, and of the reports and statutes of Eng land's colonies and possessions. Neither in London nor in Oxford, neither at the Privy Council nor at the Colonial office, can one find a complete collection, either of American or even, astounding as the fact sounds, of our Colonial reports.' "I may add that it is my belief that no library in this country contains so full a collection of the reportsand statutes of the Dominion of Canada as ours. It is possible that the Library of Parlia ment at Ottawa may have a more com plete collection. I am credibly informed that our collection of modern AngloAmerican law, international law, Roman and Civil law, ecclesiastical law, juris prudence and philosophy of law, and Anglo-American legal history far sur passes the collection in the Gary Library." That the library recently presented by Judge Elbert H. Gary to his alma mater is truly a remarkable library may, how ever, be seen from a bulletin describing it in detail. The library is said in this